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Senate - Buhari Did Not State Date Of His Return

The receipt of a letter from
President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate informing the legislature of his
intention to extend his medical vacation in the United Kingdom was confirmed yesterday
by the senate. The upper chamber of the National Assembly however has failed to
provide details of the letter.

You may recall that the Presidency
had announced that President Buhari’s 10-day vacation to the UK had been
extended and reason for the extension contained in a three-paragraph statement
made available to journalists by the Special Adviser to the President on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.

Femi Adesina said the extension was necessary
to allow the President complete series of

tests recommended by his doctors and
get the results before he could return to Nigeria.

He also said Buhari had already
dispatched a letter to the National Assembly on the extension, with no duration
of extension specified.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on
Media and Public Affairs, Sabi Abdullahi, while briefing journalists on the
letter, said, “ …You will recall that we
received, before we suspended plenary, a letter from Mr. President which was
dated 18th January, 2017, where he informed the distinguished senators that he
was proceeding on his vacation for 10 days and this is to meet the
constitutional provisions.

“In this second letter, he is
informing the Senate that he is extending his vacation because in the cause of
that routine medical check-up, there were still some tests his doctors still
want to run further and so, because of that, he is extending his stay. This is
a constitutional provision and let me say it is within his prerogative to do so
and we are in receipt of that letter accordingly.”

The spokesman said the Senate was waiting
for the safe return of the President.

When asked if the date of Buhari’s
return was stated in the letter or it was indefinite, Abdullahi stated that the
letter did not say indefinite “because indefinite is taking the matter out of
context.”

He added, “But, then, he said he’s
extending (his vacation); that is, beyond the 10 days he had asked for and
because the tests that are going to be run are not in his hands (to be
determined by him) – it is in the hands of the doctors – he is not giving us a
date. But, definitely, he’s extending (his vacation) and I think that is what
is important.”

When asked for how many days the
legislature would permit the President to remain on vacation, the

Senate’s spokesperson said he was not
sure if the constitution had a specific duration for a President’s absence from
duty.

Abdullahi was also asked whether it
was compulsory for the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to reconvene the
lawmakers and read the content of the letter at the plenary on the floor of the
chamber.

Abdullahi said, “I am here to speak
on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are in receipt of that letter and
we are telling you because Nigerians have been asking.

Whatever is reported through whatever
medium is not my own business.

Our business is what we do here and
that is what I know. Now that we have the letter, I am here to say we have the
letter and that is what is important.”

When asked to react to the opinion of
a lawyer that Buhari’s letter remained invalid until it had been read to the
lawmakers, the Senate spokesperson stated that the lawyer was not a senator.

Abdullahi also could not be
categorical on the date the letter was received by Saraki.

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